Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 08-01-2015, 09:25 PM   #1
Member
 
Terry and Nina's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 47
RW stepped up for us on warranty issue

We were headed south in I-35 out of Oklahoma City, with our 2015 38GK with 8K axles, when we heard a noise. I took the next exit and after stopping, was not able to see any obvious reason for the noise. We continued on and I noticed the coach was not following the truck properly. Back end was turned to the left a little. Once in for service, it was determined that a bolt had broken and an axle had shifted. Pictures were submitted to Redwood and Lippert Components. Lippert denied warranty coverage saying our trailer was overloaded. We had the same items we had carried in our previous 30 foot, light weight fifth wheel. The only difference is that I added 70-75 gallons to our fresh water tank before we left.

I spoke with Lippert customer service, but was unable to change their decision.
I spoke with Redwood customer service rep. I got the impression that he did not believe what I was telling him.

My wife and I had met Jim Lazzarino, General Manager at Redwood, when we attended the Phoenix Good Sam Rally last March. Jim had given me his business card. I called Jim and explained what had happened to our trailer and asked if he would be able to help. After looking into the issue and speaking with Jim Izbicki, the Director of Customer Service, Jim Lazzarino called me back to tell me Redwood would cover the repairs under the warranty and that support of their customers was very important to them. A short time later, I spoke with Jim Izbicki and he told me the same thing.

I want to thank Jim Lazzarino and Jim Izbicki for their support with my Redwood. It is good to see that the customer is very important to them.
__________________
2014 RAM 3500 Longhorn DRW Longbed
2015.5 38GK, H 17.5 tires, power reel, Morryde IS suspension, Onan 5.5 lp generator
Terry and Nina is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-01-2015, 09:33 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
atom ant's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 7,101
Another example of

Lippert Denies (that sounds sooooo Lippert )
Redwood Denies

Jim has to be contacted direct to fix the issue!!

I'm curious what Lippert used as the basis for determining you were overweight? I can't even get close to 6,400 lbs on my 8,000 lb axles even with full water!

I know you folks are happy it's fixed and feel well served by Redwood, but why does it have to go to the top to get a fix? (general frustration question). A lot of folks out there would not have the boldness to do that.
__________________
Brad & Dory - Lone Tree, CO
CURRENT - 2013 Itasca Meridian 42E/2013 Wrangler 4dr Sahara
SOLD - 2014 Redwood 36RL/2014 F350 DRW
atom ant is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-01-2015, 09:34 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
RomanyLife's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 512
GOOD LORD it's good to see this!! Thank you for sharing.
SHAME ON LIPPERT!!!! I am seeing a VERY ugly trend with them, and it needs to be stopped.

That's great news, GOOD JOB Redwood!
__________________

Living the Dream in our 2015 38RL: 1600 watts solar, 800 ah lithium, slide in slide, residential refer, washer/dryer, Moryde 8K, H rated tires, Kodiak disc brakes, Drainmaster system, SeeLevel II
Our big girl is dragged around by our 2019 RAM 3500 Limited DRW
Grateful Veterans, Proud Americans, Devoted Partners, Parents and Grandparents!
LOVE the Full Time RV Life @OurRomanyLife
RomanyLife is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-01-2015, 09:35 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
RomanyLife's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 512
I agree with Brad, what method did they use to determine you were overweight???!!
__________________

Living the Dream in our 2015 38RL: 1600 watts solar, 800 ah lithium, slide in slide, residential refer, washer/dryer, Moryde 8K, H rated tires, Kodiak disc brakes, Drainmaster system, SeeLevel II
Our big girl is dragged around by our 2019 RAM 3500 Limited DRW
Grateful Veterans, Proud Americans, Devoted Partners, Parents and Grandparents!
LOVE the Full Time RV Life @OurRomanyLife
RomanyLife is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-01-2015, 09:44 PM   #5
Member
 
Terry and Nina's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 47
Quote:
Originally Posted by RomanyLife View Post
I agree with Brad, what method did they use to determine you were overweight???!!
They looked at pictures of the suspension damage is what I was told.
__________________
2014 RAM 3500 Longhorn DRW Longbed
2015.5 38GK, H 17.5 tires, power reel, Morryde IS suspension, Onan 5.5 lp generator
Terry and Nina is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-01-2015, 10:02 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
Piper Guy's Gal's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 243
Thank you for sharing, Terry and Nina. So glad you got it fixed and all is right (and safe)!

Could I ask for a clarification please? Did the Redwood customer service rep actually deny your claim? You said that he didn't seem to believe you (and then you called Jim Lazzarino). Just wondering what would have happened if you
hadn't made the call.

And when you had it in for service, did anyone weigh your rig?
__________________
"Life is too short to take the same road twice"
Vaughan and Tracy, and our 4-legged fur babies: Zeus, Millie, Murphy and Miles, traveling happily in Tilda, our 2013 RW 36RL.
Piper Guy's Gal is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-01-2015, 10:12 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
Blue Dogs's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 383
So this means anyone who wants warranty coverage from Redwood must go the the GM to get it fixed? It's great it's fixed but needing to go to the top on every issue is not good customer service. Not everyone has his business card in their wallet. This is wrong in so many ways!
__________________
Yale & Tammy
2014 F-350 4x4 crew cab, SRW, 6.7, 3.55's, 18K PullRite
2014 Redwood black and Gold 38RL, king slide in slide, 5.5 Onan
Blue Dogs is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-01-2015, 10:45 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
atom ant's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 7,101
Quote:
Originally Posted by Terry and Nina View Post
They looked at pictures of the suspension damage is what I was told.
Did it happen to be Brad Smith with Lippert?
__________________
Brad & Dory - Lone Tree, CO
CURRENT - 2013 Itasca Meridian 42E/2013 Wrangler 4dr Sahara
SOLD - 2014 Redwood 36RL/2014 F350 DRW
atom ant is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-01-2015, 11:06 PM   #9
Member
 
Terry and Nina's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 47
Quote:
Originally Posted by Piper Guy's Gal View Post
Thank you for sharing, Terry and Nina. So glad you got it fixed and all is right (and safe)!

Could I ask for a clarification please? Did the Redwood customer service rep actually deny your claim? You said that he didn't seem to believe you (and then you called Jim Lazzarino). Just wondering what would have happened if you
hadn't made the call.

And when you had it in for service, did anyone weigh your rig?
He never said the words, "We deny your claim" He said "Lippert denied your claim" and would not offer any solutions to getting the repair done under warranty. The tone of his voice is what gave me the impression he did not believe the trailer was not overloaded. If I hadn't made the call to Jim, I believe I would have had to pay for the repairs. No, the trailer was not weighed when I took it in for service.
__________________
2014 RAM 3500 Longhorn DRW Longbed
2015.5 38GK, H 17.5 tires, power reel, Morryde IS suspension, Onan 5.5 lp generator
Terry and Nina is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-01-2015, 11:09 PM   #10
Member
 
Terry and Nina's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 47
Quote:
Originally Posted by atom ant View Post
Did it happen to be Brad Smith with Lippert?
I do know know who originally looked at the pictures. It was not Brad Smith that I spoke with.
__________________
2014 RAM 3500 Longhorn DRW Longbed
2015.5 38GK, H 17.5 tires, power reel, Morryde IS suspension, Onan 5.5 lp generator
Terry and Nina is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-01-2015, 11:21 PM   #11
Site Team
 
Dave&Ginny's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 5,407
I agree with the above posts......

It's wonderful that Jim stood up and did the right thing......but why did it take Jim? The suspensions on the Redwoods are sub-par at best. Too many have failed and the explanation is that they're over weight. Well maybe they're simply under built for their intended purposes.
__________________
SOB "The RV Wiseguy"
Dave&Ginny is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-01-2015, 11:46 PM   #12
Senior Member
 
RomanyLife's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 512
Dave, you are 100% right. The suspension is inadequate for the trailer. We are sick that we did not upgrade when we ordered, but now we know that the BEST option is just to go get the Moryde system. I am already a very nervous person while towing because of all that we read here. We are completely afraid to travel with anything in our tanks because of added weight, even though we are NOT heavy (we don't carry much anyway, but if you are full time, you HAVE stuff). We should be able to have fluids in our tanks and not be panicked about a catastrophic failure.
__________________

Living the Dream in our 2015 38RL: 1600 watts solar, 800 ah lithium, slide in slide, residential refer, washer/dryer, Moryde 8K, H rated tires, Kodiak disc brakes, Drainmaster system, SeeLevel II
Our big girl is dragged around by our 2019 RAM 3500 Limited DRW
Grateful Veterans, Proud Americans, Devoted Partners, Parents and Grandparents!
LOVE the Full Time RV Life @OurRomanyLife
RomanyLife is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-01-2015, 11:54 PM   #13
Senior Member
 
Piper Guy's Gal's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 243
We had our 36 RL weighed twice: once by a police officer trained in accident reconstruction and then again by MorRyde. We were within our weight capacity both times. When we had the suspension replaced, we learned we had a crack spring. I know there have been several others who have had this problem. My point is that the overloaded weight excuse sounds like BS and is getting old.
__________________
"Life is too short to take the same road twice"
Vaughan and Tracy, and our 4-legged fur babies: Zeus, Millie, Murphy and Miles, traveling happily in Tilda, our 2013 RW 36RL.
Piper Guy's Gal is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2015, 01:19 AM   #14
Senior Member
 
travelin' texans's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 3,353
First off I would not have called Lippert, as my warranty was with RW!! Ours has been weighed twice also & both times we were 25 lbs over our 16.5k gross, so technically we are overloaded, but not per axle. In my opinion, it would've been a helluva fight!
__________________
Danny & Linda
Full-timed 10+ years
Former '13 FB owner
Traded '13 GMC Denali DRW D/A
Currently rv & truckless
Replacement undetermined
travelin' texans is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2015, 11:01 AM   #15
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 25
May I ask which bolt broke? We were travelling west on I90 near Buffalo NY 2 weeks ago when our TPMS alarm went off (Right rear tire overheating). Got to a service plaza and found the right rear hanger bolt missing and the rear axle shifted forward. We were able to get a mobile repair co to replace the missing wet bolt with a generic bolt and somewhat straighten the hanger. Redwood did step up and paid for the repair but I will be nursing the rig 350 miles to morryde in two weeks to get the IS installed. BTW I have had the rig weighed and we are well within the limits. 8K axles, H rated tires, disk brakes- the weak link seems to be the suspension.
__________________
Ken & Cyndie
2015 Redwood 38RL, Morryde IS, disk brakes,"H" tires, onan 5500 RV Roof Armor
2014 Ram 3500 DRW 4x4 Aisin, Laramie Longhorn, TS3 air hitch, 60 gal aux. tank
Ken&Cyndie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2015, 05:41 PM   #16
Senior Member
 
travelin' texans's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 3,353
As I've stated before, it would be money well spent to order the Mor Ryde heavy shackles & wet bolt kit ($100) & replace the OEM as A of the spring eyes are plastic bushing & wet bolts that won't take grease. Unless of course you are heading to get IS ($3000 - $6000) system!!
__________________
Danny & Linda
Full-timed 10+ years
Former '13 FB owner
Traded '13 GMC Denali DRW D/A
Currently rv & truckless
Replacement undetermined
travelin' texans is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2015, 06:11 PM   #17
Senior Member
 
RomanyLife's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 512
If I were Redwood (well, that would be a long post...)
It would be very awesome if Redwood could:

1. Acknowledge that there is a problem with the design of the suspension system in certain units that left the factory when they are loaded as designed (i.e.: as built, fulltimers only have enough weight left to pack a package of paper plates and 5 pair of undies before being overweight-UNREASONABLE)

2. Partner with MorRyde to offer certain Redwood Owners a discounted install of new suspension.

This will do a number of things. First, it will heal the wound that has been festering about this woefully lacking suspension system. *The Rally is going to be enlightening (sorry Redwood) because many folks are having their rigs weighed there, and many are not going to like what they learn...

Second: It will alleviate future claims and expense with warranty and even lawsuit with the defective systems out there.

If my suspension gives, I HAVE a recent weighing of my rig, I will NOT allow them to claim that we are overweight. Because we have the standard suspension, we are severely limited to what we can haul. We may as well not HAVE holding tanks...

It wouldn't have to be a huge discount, but something that would be received as Redwood caring and working to overcome mistakes in design. THIS is all any of us asks. Mistakes are one thing, but to pretend that it doesn't exist doesn't fool anyone, and just causes very bad damage to their reputation. People shop reputation FIRST!!
__________________

Living the Dream in our 2015 38RL: 1600 watts solar, 800 ah lithium, slide in slide, residential refer, washer/dryer, Moryde 8K, H rated tires, Kodiak disc brakes, Drainmaster system, SeeLevel II
Our big girl is dragged around by our 2019 RAM 3500 Limited DRW
Grateful Veterans, Proud Americans, Devoted Partners, Parents and Grandparents!
LOVE the Full Time RV Life @OurRomanyLife
RomanyLife is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2015, 06:26 PM   #18
Senior Member
 
atom ant's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 7,101
There is nothing wrong with a traditional leaf spring axle system for these, however when you build them cheap, they break. Spring hanger brackets could be twice the size. Bolt failure is a bolt failure from cheap bolts, not a design flaw.

Mor-ryde is not the answer.

If you want the real answer - you just get entirely away from Lippert. I see Lifestyle RV is pretty much Lippert free now - their own frame, Mor-ryde pin box and suspension, ......
__________________
Brad & Dory - Lone Tree, CO
CURRENT - 2013 Itasca Meridian 42E/2013 Wrangler 4dr Sahara
SOLD - 2014 Redwood 36RL/2014 F350 DRW
atom ant is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2015, 07:01 PM   #19
Senior Member
 
travelin' texans's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 3,353
Brad, I visited with a couple with a 6 month old Lifestyle & they they had a full page of issues that had to be addressed, from leaking level system (not LCI, Bigfoot) to all the outside storage doors didn't fit. So they may be Lippert free, but not trouble free!! I may have avoided future suspension problems with the heavy shackles, but other than the greasy brakes I didn't any suspension troubles before that upgrade.
__________________
Danny & Linda
Full-timed 10+ years
Former '13 FB owner
Traded '13 GMC Denali DRW D/A
Currently rv & truckless
Replacement undetermined
travelin' texans is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2015, 07:12 PM   #20
Senior Member
 
atom ant's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 7,101
So they are ahead! I've had leveling system leaks (denied by warranty) and cabinet doors that broke right off and fell to the ground, plus the suspension problems.....
__________________
Brad & Dory - Lone Tree, CO
CURRENT - 2013 Itasca Meridian 42E/2013 Wrangler 4dr Sahara
SOLD - 2014 Redwood 36RL/2014 F350 DRW
atom ant is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Redwood RV or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 10:31 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
×